“That was buggered up by Covid again.”
The 2021 Masters Games in Dunedin was also cancelled, leaving two options - Whanganui or the Pan Pacific Masters Games in Queensland.
It was put to a vote and Whanganui came out on top “overwhelmingly”, Canning said.
“It’s giving us four days of softball, but it’s also giving us some time to enjoy together. It’s a double whammy.
“Afterwards we can go and see our families back home, who are all over the place. I’ve got family up in the Far North.”
He said two original members of the team were from Whanganui but both pulled out of the trip.
“We’re all originally from New Zealand except for one Aussie. You’ve got to have one. We’ll take him back with us though, don’t worry.”
Players are aged between 30 and 54.
Canning, 52, said fundraising efforts had been in full swing, with raffles, ‘chase the ace’, and “quite a few hangis” involved.
As for Whanganui itself, he said he didn’t know too much about it.
“There’s a river that runs through it, and there’s a place called The Grand Hotel.
“I only know that because it’s where we’re staying.”
Master Games manager Heather Cox told the Chronicle this month that the games had more than 100 entries from overseas and 1000 first-timers, with entry numbers tracking at a similar level to the 2021 games.
The RockyOra Sporting Association was founded by Kiwi golfers - The Scalpels - around 13 years ago, with winter and summer softball clubs forming soon after.
“We’ve also got a netball club, a touch rugby club and a darts club,” Canning said.
“This is the first time any of our associations have taken a team to Whanganui. We’ve got 14 people making the trip, with one coming up from Christchurch and one coming down from Kerikeri.”
Canning said the team hired a motor coach to travel from Palmerston North to Whanganui, to make itself “look important”.
“It’s so we feel like we’re the Black Sox on tour, I guess.
“I’ve been playing this game since I was seven, so that’s quite a long time now. When I was a kid I caught for Southland.
“I had to give up rugby because it was getting a little bit too hard. It takes a week to recover from that but with softball, it’s only a day.”
Softball at the New Zealand Masters Games in Whanganui runs from February 3 to February 6 at the Whanganui Ballpark on Puriri St.
The games run from February 3-12.
